158 – Dungeon Exploration. (4)
Aris tried her best to calm her pounding heart.
After leaving the dessert café, she and Frah had arrived at the bell tower.
“The bell tower?”
“Yes. Does it remind you of anything?”
“… It does. You would always come here when you had something on your mind. I don’t think you’ve been here recently.”
She certainly had been. It was a place that Aris and Frah had often visited before their relationship had gone awry. It had been a long time since Aris had been to this place, even as herself.
“That’s why.”
“… Right. So. What did you want to talk about.”
“I’ll tell you once we get to the top.”
“Very well.”
The two of them climbed the bell tower in silence. It was quite a tall bell tower, so they could have talked as much as they wanted without being overheard, but Aris held her tongue. Words were always to be handled with care, and one should always think twice before speaking.
Wasn’t that why she had ended up in this situation? When one had much to say, it was necessary to refine one’s thoughts first. So as not to end up rambling on and on.
After going to all the trouble of composing herself, there was nothing more unsightly than rambling on and on, was there?
As they climbed the bell tower, they could see the sun beginning to set. There was a reason why Aris liked this place. The sight of the sun gradually setting from the bell tower was one of her favorites.
Indeed, as she gazed at the setting sun and watched the sky gradually turn purple, she felt all sorts of emotions welling up inside her. One might say that her sensitivity was heightened.
That was what Aris thought.
“What did you want to talk about?”
In response to Frah’s question, Aris replied.
“I wanted to say thank you.”
“Thank you?”
“Yes.”
Fortunately, she did not end up biting her tongue. She was so nervous that even saying such a simple word made her tongue feel parched.
“For what, exactly…?”
However, Frah made a strange expression at those words. Thank you? Why on earth would Aris be thanking him?
To be honest, what Frah had done could have given someone severe trauma, depending on the circumstances. So why on earth was Aris saying thank you?
Aris simply looked into the distance as she answered.
“Just, a lot of things.”
“I don’t understand. And I already thanked you last time.”
“I’m not thanking you for making me apologize. I was able to realize a lot of things because of you after that.”
“A lot of things…?”
“Yeah. I was immature until now. I thought the kindness you showed me was something I deserved.”
“I did it because I wanted to.”
“I know. But… I made light of that kindness. And then, after you apologized to me, I suddenly realized something.”
“What?”
“That there’s no such thing as kindness that’s a given in this world. When the kindness you showed me disappeared, I missed it so much. Yet you gave me a chance. A chance to go back for the first time.”
“That’s what you’re thankful for?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re thankful for a lot of things, aren’t you?”
“Well, I don’t think it’s something to be taken lightly. When the thread of a ball gets tangled and knotted, what’s the easiest solution?”
“To cut it.”
“Right. But instead of cutting it, you untangled the knot. Painstakingly. I’m grateful for that alone.”
“……”
“Other people might think our relationship is strange. No, more accurately, they’d think I’m strange. What kind of crazy woman would feel affection for someone who tried to rape her?”
“That’s true.”
“But you know, Prach. I don’t think our relationship can be defined by something so simple. Not just as the simple relationship between a rape convict and their victim.”
Prach didn’t say anything in response to her words. Literally, he had nothing to say.
“……”
“Because, more than the fact that you tried to rape me, I felt your absence more severely. You can think of me as crazy. But, Prach. There’s something I’ve felt ever since the moment you turned your back on me.”
She caught her breath and continued speaking.
“I realized that I can’t live without you. That you mean more to me than just the time we’ve spent together. I wasn’t able to say it last time… but not anymore. I’m determined to be honest.”
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Just be there for me.”
“……What?”
“I mean it. Just be there for me. That’s enough. You just have to be there. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Prach couldn’t help but be surprised by Aris’s assertiveness.
‘Was she always this kind of person?’
He realized anew that she had changed a lot. Perhaps the series of incidents had come together to make her grow as a person.
“I see.”
“Yeah. Our relationship before that incident was one where you were unilaterally trying to build a relationship with me. But from now on, it’s going to be different.”
“……It’s already changed a lot. Aris. Was there something that triggered this change in you?”
“A trigger… yes. Yeah.”
“What was it?”
“When I realized that I had fallen in love with you.”
“……Is that so.”
“You knew already?”
“I’m not completely oblivious.”
“Of course. You’ve always been quick-witted.”
“You were the one who was incredibly slow.”
“……I have nothing to say. Anyway, there’s that, but there are also two people who are the reason I started to change for real.”
“Two people? Who?”
“Asti and the Saintess.”
“Those two? Why?”
“Seeing them approach you without hesitation, I thought I shouldn’t just be messing around. You also knew that vaguely, didn’t you?”
“Not vaguely.”
“Anyway. Ah, right. You’re amazing in many ways. How were you able to receive a public confession from the Saintess?”
“Well… That’s something I wonder about too. What on earth did the Saintess see in me to fall in love with me?”
“Are you saying that even though you know?”
“As you know, I have Asti. But… I don’t know. If Asti had told me to only look at her, I would have done so, of course.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know either.”
Prach spoke to Aris with a complicated expression.
“Asti said this. She said that there will probably be more girls clinging to me in the future.”
“……That makes sense. Just look at me and the Saintess right now.”
“And she said she doesn’t want to have meaningless love affairs with those kinds of girls.”
“I see.”
“That’s the thing. I already have permission, but my heart is complicated.”
“So?”
“Yeah. I can’t give you a definite answer. There’s a lot I need to sort out, and there’s a lot I need to do.”
“Things you need to do?”
“Yeah. I can’t tell you the details, but… I’m a bit busy.”
“You’ve been busy with this and that. You’ve become more secretive.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
“Like me, you’ve changed a lot, Prach… Is this change because of me?”
“Well. That’s not it. It’s just… There were things that made me change.”
“There must have been some kind of trigger.”
Aris seemed satisfied with that alone and nodded.
“You’re not going to ask any more?”
“You’ll tell me when the time is right. Anyway, I feel a bit better now. I should have done this sooner.”
“If you had, my head would have exploded from all the complications.”
“hahahahaha. That would have been fun too. Of course, Asti would still have won.”
“Couldn’t it have been you?”
Aris shook his head at my words.
“No. I don’t think it would have been me.”
“Just before you rejected me, you said I was the only one for you.”
Prach recalled himself before the consultation. At that time, Prach was ready to give Aris anything, even his liver or gall, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.
“That’s because at that time, I was an idiot who didn’t even know my own feelings. The moment I realized my heart, it was already quite late.”
Suddenly, Aris said with a bitter tone.
“And, Prach. Asti’s existence must have been quite significant in your change.”
“Yeah. I can’t deny it.”
“Then, you have no choice but to admit defeat, right? How can I, who led you in a positive direction, lose to you?”
“……Is that so.”
“By the way, you’re amazing.”
“What is?”
“You seduced the girls in an instant as soon as the restraints on me were released.”
“No, hey. I didn’t seduce them because I wanted to.”
“I know. I just mean that you’re that charming. But that doesn’t mean you’re a womanizer.”
“Maybe that’s how it looks to others.”
“Ahahahaha! That’s right! My, oh my. Just look at the girls around you… Asti, me, the saintess, and even Lina. Aren’t you amazing?”
“Haah. Let’s not talk about it.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
“In other countries, I would have been stoned to death for this.”
“There must already be quite a few believers in the Holy Kingdom who are threatening to kill you?”
“……Damn it.”
“In the first place, even if you say that, you don’t intend to accept my feelings right away.”
“Well… I need some time to think about it seriously.”
“Yeah. I understand.”
“Oh, by the way, Aris.”
“Yeah?”
“Last time, I asked you to go somewhere with me?”
“The dungeon?”
“Yeah. The location has been identified this time, so I’m getting ready. Come to our mansion soon. I have something to talk to you about then.”
“Okay.”
“Are we done talking?”
“Yeah. But, Prach.”
“Hmm?”
At that moment, Aris leaned her body against Prach’s arm.
“Can you just stay like this for a moment? I just had some old thoughts.”
“……Sure.”
She was already looking up at the darkening sky. And so was Prach.
Aris recalled the old memories. The memories she had accumulated as a childhood friend were always with her.
Memories that she couldn’t erase even if she wanted to.
Those memories gathered and gathered, giving Aris another chance to face Prach, and she didn’t miss that chance.
Suddenly, Aris recalled what Asti had said.
In the end, it was Prach who decided. And Aris was confident. Confident that she could win his heart.
human relationship is complicated, is this why am i single for 20 years?